Moon (Planet)
Moon is the name of a principle planet in the Speck Universe. The planet's exact size is unknown, but the gravity is identical to that of Earth. It is always night, and there are no known principle mountains or rivers. A large lake known as the Tranquil Sea takes up most of the eastern hemisphere. Due to its excessive magnetic qualities, often spaceships and asteroids fall to Moon. Lack of Patron Star The most distinct feature of Moon is its near-total lack of light. Since it has no star to orbit it is always night on Moon. It is unknown if the planet has ever belonged to a star, though cave peoples sing songs of a light called Tora (see below). History As for written history, the only that exists is in hastily-scratched glyphs scrawled on the walls of the cave systems under the surface of the planet, and in the form of songs often kept by older beings. Many songs Cave peoples do sing songs about a bright light called Tonun. Original scholars thought Tora was a star, but another theory suggests that Tonun may be referencing the planet's molten core. Geology The terrain of Moon is rocky and rugged. There are mountains and hills across the planet, as well as hundreds of chasms and an intricate cave system beneath its surface. The Tranquil Sea takes up a third of the planet, and Moon's tallest mountain is only the tallest by being several meters taller than other average mountains. Flora There is a dark red grass that covers most fields. It feeds on radiation rather than sunlight, and when picked it disintegrates within a couple days. It is inedible and if a substantial amount is eaten (200 grams within 24 hours) it will poison a person's liver and they will be dead in several hours. Ragged, leafless trees known as the alwan (alcatraxi torwan) sometimes shiver with night winds. The trees are identical and the wood is hard, useful for making handles for weapons and tools. The bark is inedible. Fauna Populating the barren plains that make up the surface of Moon, the pebble pig (sus barbascrofa) is a violent creature that attacks anything it finds walking on the surface. Pebble pigs feed off of rotting alwan trees if there is no other food to be had, but being picky they often merely wait for things to fall from the sky. The pebble pig can go up to a year without eating anything. Native Sentient Species Moon has about thirty sentient species, the greater part of which live beneath the surface. There are several shepherds of humanoid variety who live on the surface and keep tamed pebble pigs. It is said that you can tell the character of a shepherd by the behavior of the pigs he keeps. Below ground, creatures of darker shades are to be found. The blanket term for those who live underground is cave peoples. There are about twenty distinct cave peoples. Since there is no natural light at all, many species have found ways of either creating or simulating fire. An old and rather weak rhyme says, "No light of day has touched the unsmiling face of Moon, and in the caves below lies an even darker doom."